“Geez, Kate. You this forward with all your clients?”
“I am so sorry,” she said. “I thought you were quotingTop Gun, and that just popped out. I wasn’t thinking. Please, never mind me.”
He laughed. “IwasquotingTop Gun, Kate. Relax. I get it. It’s a joke. That’s not exactly where the line goes, but I won’t quibble.”
Embarrassed, she moved as fast as she could in her heels to go back outside and collect Luna. “Luna, come on. Let’s go bye-bye,” she called out the open door. The dog looked up from what she was sniffing but then went right back to it.
“Did she just ignore me?” Kate said in a huff. She started to walk out after the dog but felt the same warm, big hand on her shoulder again.
“She doesn’t respect you. You need to be the boss. Plus, you’re using too many words for her to understand.” He stepped around her and called to the dog in a commanding voice, “Luna, come.”
The little bitch looked up and, sure enough, trotted over to him. He scooped her up, scratched her behind the ears, and put her in the dog carrier. “Good dog.”
What nerve. How dare he? Telling her how to handle her dog—how presumptuous. And damn this little mutt for proving his point.
“If you want to buy the place without properly checking it out, fine. It’s not my business,” she said, gathering her stuff and heading for the door, stopping just short of it. Well, except that itwasher business to stop him. Damn it.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Five, four, three…” Adam mumbled under his breath as he followed her to the door.
“Wait,” Kate said, setting her stuff on the floor. “You may be ready to make an offer, but I’m going to look over a few things first.”
He smiled.
“Why were you counting? And why are you smiling?” Her eyebrows narrowed in suspicion.
“Just wondering how long it took before you realized you couldn’t let me buy this place without searching every nook and cranny,” he said.
“Well, youarepaying me to represent you. I can’t, in good conscience, allow your impulsiveness to get you into trouble. I’ll be back,” she said, heading up the stairs. “Watch Luna for me, will you?”
He heard the water turn on and off, a couple of toilet flushes, and doors opening and closing. When she returned, he was sitting on the floor playing with the dog.
“Is she always so uptight?” he asked Luna, knowing she was standing behind him.
“No, she’s not,” Kate said. “She just takes her job seriously and wants to make sure you don’t get screwed.”
“Oops. Busted,” he said to the dog without turning around.
“Thermostat looks good. All the plumbing seems in order. The washer and dryer are listed with the house, but you can decide whether or not to keep them. An inspection will pick up anything I missed, but I’m satisfied you won’t be making a horrible mistake making an offer.”
“Let’s show her your new trick,” he said, ignoring her. “Luna, sit.” The dog plopped down onto her butt and looked eagerly at Adam. He scratched her head and told her she was a good dog.
“Traitor,” Kate said to the dog.
“Come here and try it,” Adam urged. “Just say her name and what you want her to do. But say it with force, kind of sternly.”
She sighed. “I’ll try anything if it’ll help get a handle on the willy-nilly peeing.”
The tight skirt she was wearing made it awkward to crouch, but she did the best she could, lowering herself to the floor while retaining modesty. He’d say something, but then she might quit wearing the skirts, and that would be a shame.
Once she was settled, he said, “Okay, what would you normally say to get her to come to you?”
Her voice went three octaves higher, and all of a sudden, he thought there was a baby in the room. “Come here, sweet pea. Come to Momma.” She held out a hand, and the dog trotted over to her. She returned to her normal voice. “Ha. See? She obeys me.”
“She just wanted to see what all the squealing was about. She’s a dog, not a baby.” He picked up the dog and walked across the room before setting her down. “Try it again, but talk normal. Say her name and ‘come,’ and that’s it.”
“Luna petunia, come here baby girl. Come on,” Kate coaxed, but the dog stayed where she was, laid down, and curled into a little ball of fluff. “She’s tired.”